Black Forest

Overview

Black Forest is a turn-based multiplayer online game about cooperation, betrayl and survival. It is for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.

You and every other player guides a family of peasants living in the Black Forest in medieval Germany. You are isolated from the outside world, and every night wolves, bears and worse come out of the forest. During the day, you need to plant and harvest, and build defenses.

Cooperation and Betrayl

The village consists of private lands and common lands. Everyone can plant, harvest or build on their own and on common grounds, and every family can find shelter for the night in their own houses or houses on common ground.

You can also take control of neighbouring land. To expand, to make lands owned by families who perished useful for the community again, or to gain control of structures your neighbour built.

With this combination, you can work together with others to secure the village, or you can let them die and focus on your own survival. But they might join forces and take your land, so you have to be diplomatic about it, or tricky.

Survival

To survive, your family needs two things:

Food for the day

Not getting eaten at night

Food you can find by planting and harvesting, or by gathering mushrooms and berries in the forest.

Shelter (so you don't get eaten) you can build from wood and stone, both of which you have to gather in the forest. However, those creatures of the night can damage buildings if they smell tasty humans inside, so you will occasionally have to repair or replace those houses. Or have one in reserve, in any case.

Darker and darker...

With every passing day, the nights get darker and colder. Every night, more and more dangerous creatures will come out of the forest. You will need more and thicker walls to keep them at bay.

How long can you survive?

Victory

In the end, you cannot win against the forest. But you can win against your fellow players. Because the last survivor wins the game.

Which means that there are two paths to victory. To prolong your own survival, or to cut short that of the others.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Black Forest is full of decisions. Where to build a wall? Grow food or build defenses? Work with the others or against them? Contribute to the common good or your own? Focus or diversify? Stockpile or live day-to-day? Trust, or betray?

These decisions and the way to make them are an important part of the game. Do not underestimate communication with the other players in your village. Be aware that they can be tricky, or trustworthy. Spot opportunities. Use them. Survive.